Lebanese-Armenian Maral Najaryan Went to Shushi to Retrieve Belongings and Was Captured, ECHR Confirms: Z. Sinanyan

The European Court of Human Rights is addressing the case of Lebanese-Armenian Maral Najaryan, who has gone missing in Azerbaijan. Zareh Sinanyan, the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, shared this information during a conversation with Sputnik Armenia, adding that the ECHR has confirmed that the woman is in captivity in Azerbaijan.

“Since Maral's disappearance, we have reached out to the relevant authorities to try to obtain any information regarding her status. Maral went to Shushi with a relative after the November 9 agreement to retrieve her belongings and then disappeared. Azerbaijani individuals answered her phone, claiming either that they had captured her or that she had been killed,” said Sinanyan.

According to him, the ECHR is currently handling Maral's case, and they are following the developments with the hope that she will soon return to Armenia.

Sinanyan also reported that the man who went to Shushi with Maral has also been captured. However, unlike Maral, it is known that he is alive, as the Azerbaijani side released a video involving him. Furthermore, he has been portrayed as a terrorist.

The man moved to Artsakh several years ago, while Maral relocated recently in August. It is noteworthy that Maral holds citizenship in both Armenia and the Republic of Lebanon. Following the explosion in Beirut on August 4 last year, she moved to Armenia with her sister on August 29. They expressed their desire to live in Artsakh and had settled in one of the hotels in Shushi a month later, until the handover of a house for permanent residence.

After the war began, the sisters moved to Goris, but their belongings remained in Berdzor (Lachin). On the day of declaring a ceasefire, November 10, thinking they could safely transport their goods from Berdzor, Maral went to Berdzor with another compatriot, Vigen Euljkechyan, and then proceeded to Shushi. After that, they went missing.